I was at a tip shop looking for a whisk, expecting to find one for $1, maybe $2, when a small pair of tongs caught my eye. The price, written on the metal with permanent marker, was $10.
I snapped a photo and sent it to a group of op-shopping friends. “Tip shop pricing!” I wrote. “Tell ’em they’re dreamin’,” one quipped. After all, a pair on Kmart’s website that looked the same – but cleaner – cost $1.75.
I’ve since heard numerous stories of op-shop and tip-shop pricing that’s so high it’s often cheaper to buy identical items new. One friend saw a Spider-Man toy at an op shop for $15, then at a supermarket for $10, and many report Anko clothing costing more secondhand than new.
Then are the “vintage” items, which are sometimes unique treasures but at other times seem more like unique trash.
“Willow” bakeware might be sought after on Etsy but is that grounds for charging $12 not $2 for a rusty cupcake tin? And German-made Kakuro trucks might be collector’s items online but what are the chances someone will pay $27.50 for a grimy one in a tip shop that, as noted on the label, is also cracked?
I saw a Lego box priced at $4 and thought it too cheap – until I saw “box only” on the tag. A friend once tried to buy some old urine-stained carpet to use as weed-mat until the tip shop wouldn’t go a cent under $40.
These are extreme examples and, because none involved items people really need, I found them more entertaining than concerning. Part of the fun of secondhand shopping is how unpredictable it is.
Besides, prices aren’t always fixed – I’m sure most seasoned op-shoppers have taken an item to the counter only to have staff exclaim, heavens, that’s far too much, then slash it to two bucks. One friend, after deciding to fork out $80 for an old oil painting, says the person at the counter changed the price to $8 and said “That’s better!” before charging her.
Jaharn Quinn, an expert thrifter, has noticed prices rising in the last five years. She says the cost of secondhand items – furniture especially – is often close to the retail price. She worries that some op shops and tip shops are pricing out those in need and forgetting their purpose but says she’d never complain. “They are doing so much to help local communities and I value all the hard work they do, even if I don’t agree with their pricing.”
Ryan Collins, the head of impact and research at Planet Ark, says there are problems with pricing secondhand goods too high or too low. Too high and those who rely on them may not be able to afford them, plus people might choose to buy new items instead, driving further consumption. But if pricing is too low it can undermine the value of reuse and make it hard for enterprises to cover costs and stay sustainable.
He says those setting prices should consider quality, durability, brand, condition, functionality and market demand, as well as the environmental and social benefits of keeping materials out of landfill and supporting local jobs in reuse and repair.
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When consumers encounter higher-than-expected prices, it may be because an item is better quality and will end up being cheaper per-use than a newer version. Even if that’s not the case – even if it’s cheaper to buy the same item new – “you’re not just buying a product”, Collins says, but “investing in a system that reduces waste” and benefits the community.
Rena Dare, a director of the Recovery Circular Hub that’s home to Australia’s longest-running tip shop, says saving the Earth costs money and sacrifice. The locally owned business runs without tax breaks and pays wages to a team of experienced workers. Prices are determined using detailed guides and aren’t negotiable. When an item isn’t covered by a price guide, the staff, who are keen op-shoppers themselves, consider its quality and condition and search for comparable items online.
Over 35 years, Dare has come to know what items will be on sale on Monday and in landfill by Saturday – and she and her team price them accordingly. There are even some items she refuses to resell. Some fast fashion, for example, releases so many microplastics when washed, it might be better to bury it and keep it contained. “Some things don’t deserve to be put back into circulation because they shouldn’t be made in the first place,” she says.
After doing “something like 40,000 salvages”, there’s not much Dare and her team haven’t seen. If they do come across something for the first time, it’s likely to be rare and will attract a higher price. I think of a $110 hat I noticed before we spoke. Then, I considered it massively overpriced; now, I wonder if it’s actually a steal.
